Bite-size cherry pies

I know that some people think cherry pie, especially when made with that artificially crimson-colored canned cherry glop, is gross. I, on the other hand, happen to LOVE that artificially crimson-colored canned cherry glop.

If you're with me on that one, you'll probably want to make these teeny tiny cherry pies. Because not only are they filled with that delicious glop, but they are bite-size! Which means you can put one in the palm of your hand, and then pop it right into your mouth. Well, if you have a big mouth. It's more of a three-bite-size pie for me. But I'm kind of small, despite what all these blog posts about desserts might lead you to believe.

Anyway, I ran across this idea at notmartha.org. It's super easy to do, because all it entails is a refrigerated pie crust, a can of cherry filling, cookie cutters and a mini muffin pan. Note that I'm not using a regular-size muffin pan that you'd bake regular-size cupcakes in. This pan makes really little cupcakes — about 2 inches in diameter. If you want to use a bigger pan, just remember to adjust the measurements accordingly.

Oh, and these are pretty fun to make! If you like cutting out shapes with cookie cutters, anyway. Which I do. So, fun!

Of course, if you want to make your crust and pie filling from scratch, you totally can. I'm just taking the easy way out here. Maybe someday I'll endeavor to make a fruit pie from scratch, crust and all. For now, though, I'm cool with Pillsbury and the glop.

Recipe: Bite-size cherry pies

If you made your own crust (I'm impressed!), roll it out to about ⅛-inch thick. If you're using refrigerated ready-to-bake pie crust, let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes, and then unroll it.

Spoon your cherry pie filling into the little pie shells. You'll only need two or three cherries per shell. The more filling you add, the more of a mess it'll make in the oven … but what a tasty mess!

Cut out your top crust. You can cut out circles to fully cover the top of the mini pies or make a lattice crust, like notmartha did. Or you can be lazy like me, and use your smallest cookie cutters to cut out little shapes that you just plop right on top of the filling. (Warning: This appears to be the messier option.)

Put your mini muffin pan into the oven; the pies are done when the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling. You'll want to check them after 10 minutes just in case, but my pies didn't start to get golden for about 15 minutes. Make sure to let them cool just a bit before popping them in your mouth.

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Join Larissa and Chrissy as they cook their way through the holidays. Professional chefs they are not, but hopefully that just means the recipes they share are easily recreated in your own kitchen. The theme of the blog and types of recipes will change with the time of year. Seasons eatings to you all!

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